Manchester United were knocked out by Derby County at home in the EFL Cup and that must have surely dented the confidence of the team. However, they are currently preparing to face West Ham United this weekend. The Hammers have found their footing under Pellegrini and this will not be an easy outing as many were hoping a couple of weeks back. After a 3-1 win over Everton and a 0-0 draw against Chelsea, West Ham emerged 8-0 winners as they smashed Macclesfield Town in the EFL Cup last evening.
Marcos Rojo is still not training with the first-team owing to his injury. Elsewhere, Ander Herrera has recovered from his layoff and the likes of Marcus Rashford and Nemanja Matic are eligible to play after serving their respective bans.
David de Gea will be the undisputed starter for United in goal.
Antonio Valencia has failed to provide much attacking impetus from the right-back position. However, it is not a position of worry for the manager and he is likely to continue with the Ecuadorian for the foreseeable future. Luke Shaw, who provided one key pass and two crosses against Wolves will play as the left-sided fullback.
Chris Smalling is arguably United’s most reliable centre-back at the moment. He won one tackle, cleared the ball once and won one aerial duel last weekend. However, he has been commanding at the back and hence needs to start at the heart of the backline. Eric Bailly could be preferred over Victor Lindelof to deal with Marko Arnautovic’s use of strength in his attacking play.
Nemanja Matic will guard the backline and bring much-needed stability in the defensive midfield region.
Paul Pogba and Fred are likely to start on either side of Matic. Pogba assisted Fred’s goal against Wolves and both of them were convincing despite the underwhelming result at the end. There is a fair amount of speculation regarding the World Cup winner’s future at the club but United desperately need a win. And for that, they need their best players on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Fred induces dynamism and defensive discipline, something that allows Pogba to assume a free role ahead.
Romelu Lukaku will be leading the forward line despite his recent struggles in terms of finishing off relatively easy chances. He needs to be more clinical and decisive in front of the goal.
Anthony Martial impressed in United’s loss against Derby County. Martial completed three dribbles and provided three key passes. He surely deserves a longer run, especially considering the fact that Alexis Sanchez is woefully out of form.
Jesse Lingard is expected to start on the right flank. He registered an assist and played a key pass against Frank Lampard’s team. Moreover, Lingard completed two tackles and was tenacious throughout his stay on the pitch.
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